Author to Speak at Center for Environment on Local Communities Solving National Problems

05/16/13

Author Francis Koster will speak Thursday, May 16, on his recently
published book, Discovering the New
America: Where Local Communities Are Solving National Problems, at the
Center for the Environment building on the Catawba College campus.

The 6:30 presentation will be followed by a reception and
book signing. His book will be available at a discounted price.

Koster received his doctorate from the Program for the Study
of the Future at the University of Massachusetts. He has served as a university administrator,
designer of energy conservation and renewable energy programs and a pioneer in
the application of information technologies in health care. He retired in 2008
as vice president for innovation for the Nemours Foundation, one of the largest
children’s health systems in the country.

His website, “The Optimistic Futurist,” offers case studies
of organizations and communities throughout the nation which have successfully
addressed some of the most persistent problems facing America. He shares those solutions and best practices
in a bi-weekly column in the Salisbury Post. His book is a compilation of 63 of
those columns.

His presentation is free and open to the public, but
registration is required.

Book Offers
Cost-effective, Creative Solutions to Problems

Dr. Francis Koster, former university administrator,
designer and implementer of renewable energy programs, and pioneer in the
application of health care information technologies, has studied the future for
decades.

His recently published book, Discovering the New America: Where Local Communities are Solving
National Problems, offers creative solutions and best practices that
communities across the country have implemented. The case studies he uses are
documented on his website, “The Optimistic Futurist.”

Koster notes that people often don’t respond to warning signs that
problems are ahead because they feel that those problems are insurmountable. “Right now we have a very large
percentage of the American population that does not know you can fix our
country’s problems, so they’re not trying or they think the solution will cost
a lot of money,” he says. “And in every example I cite, you actually make
money.”

The book’s goal is to create a manual of best practices for
civic volunteers and leaders. “I want to
empower people so that they can actually let scary news in because they know it
can be fixed,” he says.

He offers four examples cited in his book that offer cost-effective
solutions to environmental problems.

Good Design Pays
Dividends

The Village Homes community in Davis, Calif., shares 23
acres of parks, common areas, orchards, vineyards and greenbelts. The
sustainable design saved $800 per household in initial costs. The plan
encourages a “sense of community, protects natural resources and conserves
energy,” Koster writes.

The village’s layout fosters water conservation, using 1/3
less water for irrigation than surrounding developments. In addition, all the
homes have some form of built-in solar design.

Finally, the design encourages a sense of community. A study
revealed that residents at Village Homes know 42 people in the neighborhood,
compared to 17 reported in a standard suburban neighborhood. The average
resident identifies four individuals in the complex as his/her best friends.
Crime is 90 percent less than the city average.

Local Investors Lower
Taxpayer Costs to Heat and Cool Public Buildings

Wellesley College in Massachusetts invited local individuals
to invest in their buildings in exchange for a share of the energy
savings. The private investment group
funded the replacement of the college’s parking garage lights, saving more than
$26,500 in energy costs the first year.

“The retrofit project reduced energy consumption by 57
percent, increased light levels by 32 percent, and doubled the fixture’s lamp
life, which reduced maintenance costs,” according to the case study. “Light
bills went down $26,536 annually, and maintenance costs were reduced almost
$4,000. Because the private investor could take advantage of favorable tax
treatment that the school could not, the actual net investment was less than
$40,000, resulting in an 81 percent return on investment split between the
investor and the school (which put in no money).”

“Every public building in America could do this,” Koster
says.

Auto Roundabouts
Reduce Fuel Use and Air Pollution

A study revealed that using roundabouts instead of traffic
lights or stop signs saves as much as 20-30 percent on fuel and consequently
reduces air pollution caused by idling vehicles.

A Vermont study “indicated that the installation of
roundabouts in place of signals at 100 busy intersections would decrease total
annual motor fuel use by approximately 1-2 percent of 1997 annual statewide
gasoline consumption attributable directly to the roundabouts – and another 1-2
percent attributable to changes in land use density enabled by the
roundabouts,” according to the chapter.

School System Makes
Biodiesel to Fuel Bus Fleet

The Gaston County School System in North Carolina converts
waste vegetable oil from its school cafeterias and other sources to run 209
buses on a 20 percent biofuel-to-diesel blend. Using biodiesel not only reduces
air pollution; it also saves money. The school system produces biodiesel for 60
cents per gallon. Since the buses in the fleet travel an aggregate of 12,000
miles a day, the school system saves about $125,000 a year. The project also
lowers asthma rates among students.

Citizens Submit
Solutions

Koster hopes his website, “The Optimistic Futurist,” will
continue to collect helpful examples of communities and organizations that have
addressed the challenges that face America. “I hope citizens from all over the
country will submit solutions that they have implemented in their own
communities to my website so everybody can learn,” he says.

“I don’t want to be
the ultimate author of all the solutions to the problems facing America. I want
to create a source that newly elected officials can go to and find success
stories that they can bring to their own community to make it healthier while
lowering taxes.”